


Snap, Crackle, Pop

by BetsyFangirl



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Steve/Darcy Christmas Fic Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 09:03:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5621245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetsyFangirl/pseuds/BetsyFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy has a very specific snack craving. Doom tries to ruin the day, but is defeated by Captain America himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snap, Crackle, Pop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SteeleHoltingOn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteeleHoltingOn/gifts).



> This is for SteeleHoltingOn for the Steve/Darcy Christmas Fic Exchange! 
> 
> the prompt was rice krispies + blizzard + Dr. Doom

“Mother-fraking Doom and his mother-fraking—UGH!”

Steve stopped just shy of the doorway to the communal kitchen. He rested his weight on the crutches tucked under his arms and peered around the jamb to see who was so vehemently cursing the Avengers’ current foe. He had a pretty good guess as to whom he would find in the kitchen, though. He only knew one woman with access to this level of the Tower who also had made a New Year’s Resolution to curse less and thus used a multitude of substitutes quite creatively. It was still only the first of January but Steve felt like if she kept it up, her resolution might not last that long.

“Why can’t he keep his gorram dastardly deeds out of mother-trucking Manhattan for one god…gosh-darned day!” It was Darcy, Jane’s “intern” who also doubled as sometimes-hacker and Avengers’ social-media coordinator. She was stomping in wet rain-boots that Steve could here squish with every step she took. Her dark purple peacoat had been thrown haphazardly across the far counter. A small puddle had formed on the floor from where one of the sleeves was dripping onto the tile. Steve cleared his throat. Darcy turned around with deep scowl on her face. “Why aren’t you out there with your team getting Dr. Doom the hell out of my grocery route?” she asked accusingly. Steve stepped further into the kitchen so she could see the crutches.

“I was out there fighting Doom, earlier. He crushed my ankle. It’s already starting to heal but if I had stayed out there on it they were going to have to re-break it to set it right. I should be fine by morning.” He gave her what he hoped was a winning smile.

Darcy sighed. “It’s hard to be righteously indignant with you when you’re injured, Cap,” she said.

“I’ve told you—it’s Steve. And why do you want to be righteously indignant with me?” he asked, hobbling to a barstool and sitting down.

“Because! Doom ruined my snacks!” Darcy stomped her foot as she said it, giving her words a squish for emphasis.

“What?” Steve tilted his head in confusion. The pain killers they had been able to give him had already worn off, but Darcy’s sentence didn’t make any sense. "How did Dr. Doom ruin your snacks?"

Darcy sighed and bent over to start pulling off her boots. “I woke up today craving rice krispie treats. I already had marshmallows but I didn’t have an rice krispies so when I was done with my work in the lab, I figured I’d walk down to the grocery store and get some. You guys must have gotten the call to assemble when I was just a few blocks away from the tower. Usually my phone dings when that happens, but whatever Dr. Douche-Face is doing must be messing with the signal cause the ding never came. And then, before I can even make it to the grocery store, it starts fricking snowing! I mean, it’s been flurrying off and on all week but Dr. Dumb-Ass with his whatever thingamabob makes it start pouring snow. I don’t know if you realize this, Steve, but it’s officially a blizzard out there. I mean, I’m sure you know because you were out fighting in it, but I was so not prepared for a blizzard! I turned right around to head back to the tower, but it took me two hours to get back. TWO HOURS. I mean, you managed to join the fight, get injured, and make a probably too-short stop in medical in the time it took me to walk back! And now I don’t have the damn cereal to make the snacks I’ve wanted all day!” Darcy peeled off her wet socks and stuffed them angrily in her boots. Her cheeks were flushed from a combination of her rant and the cold. Steve thought she looked beautiful.

“I haven’t had a rice krispie treat since before we got our first ration book in ’42.” Steve said. He hadn’t meant to reveal the memory. He should have consoled her, or offered to get in touch with one of his fellow Avengers for a sit-rep. But his brain did all sorts of things when Darcy was around.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked.

“Um, I mean, I—“ Steve started.

“This is even more a travesty than I thought! You haven’t had one since before you were Captain America and I haven’t had one for at least two weeks and now neither of us can have any because of Dr. Doom and his mother-"

“Darcy,” Steve interrupted. She stared at him. “You said you were going to curse less. I mean, I don’t mind if you curse but I’d hate for you to break your resolution. Besides, I, uh, I’ve got a box of rice krispies in my room. They’re mine and Bucky’s favorite.” Steve hoped the warmth he felt in his cheeks wasn't noticeable to anyone else. “You can just use those."

“Steve Rogers, you are a god amongst men.” Darcy reached for face and laid a big, smacking kiss on his left cheek. Then his right. He could feel the waxy traces of her lipstick on his skin. He didn’t care. “Can I go get it from your room? I figure you shouldn’t be on that ankle.” Her hands still cupped his jaw gently. He felt one of her thumbs wipe away some of the lipstick. She was smiling.

“Huh? Yes,” he said. Was his ankle hurt? Everything felt fine. He mentally shook himself so he could answer her question properly. “Sure. You can go get it. Bucky’s there. He can get it for you. If you tell him what you’re making he might even traipse through the blizzard just to get you more supplies. He’s got a sweet tooth."

“Thank you so much, Steve. I’ll be right back!” She gave him more more peck on the cheek and was gone from the kitchen.

****

Darcy skipped back into the kitchen with Bucky following, carrying three boxes of cereal and several bags of marshmallows.

“Can you set those on the counter, please?” she asked.

“Sure thing, doll,” said Bucky. He looked over at Steve as he set everything out. Darcy busied herself with finding a large enough bowl for the amount of treats she was preparing to make. Bucky looked from Steve to Darcy, then back again. Steve had barely noticed his appearance in the kitchen. It was pretty obvious why. “I’m gonna leave you to it, Darcy. I think Steve will be all the help you’ll need. And he’ll be sure to tell me when they’re done, right punk?"

Steve looked directly at Bucky finally. “Yeah, sure Buck. I’ll, uh, I’ll let you know when they’re done. And you let us—me, let me know if you hear anything from the team."

“I think Tony and Thor are just starting a snowball fight in midtown. The Fantastic Four showed up for Doom—finally. Natasha went to find Ms. Munro to see if she could do something about the snow, though. I’ll let you know when everyone is back. Don’t eat everything before I get some,” he said with a smirk. Darcy hadn’t been paying attention to their exchange, instead she has started melting marshmallows and was swaying around to a song no one else could hear. Bucky was pretty sure Steve wasn’t even paying attention to their conversation anymore either. “You kids have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Steve,” he said, slipping out of the kitchen and back to his rooms.

****

“You’ve really turned my day around, Steve. I appreciate it.” Darcy was mixing her ingredients in a big steel bowl, standing right next to him at the granite bar on the edge of the kitchen.

“It was just some cereal, Darcy,” he said, smiling. “But you’re welcome.” His cheeks felt warm again.

“I know it’s not really a big deal, I just-“ she stopped herself, shook her head, and went back to stirring.

Gathering a bit of the courage modern history books seemed to say he had, Steve reached over and brushed a lock of hair back behind Darcy’s ear from where it had fallen in her face. “You just what? You can talk to me, you know?"

She smiled softly at him. Not the huge grin that usually covered her beautiful face, but one that was small; private. “I don’t always feel very…productive. I mean, I spend most of my time helping other people accomplish what they’re doing, but some days I just need to do something myself. Even if it’s something silly like making my favorite childhood snack. But then I couldn’t even make it to the grocery store. I guess I don’t really feel cut out for the world I’m in here. But I got to achieve my goal today. It’s not much, but my Gram always said it’s the little things that count."

“I think your Gram was right. And I’m glad I could help.” His fingers traced the path from her cheek to around her ear again. “You can always come talk to me if you’re feeling out of place. I know a thing or two about how that feels,” he said. “I’m always happy to lend an ear."

Darcy wasn’t even stirring anymore at this point. The mixture was ready to be poured out, but she wasn’t moving yet. “Just an ear?” she asked. She leaned into Steve’s hand that was cupping her face.

If he ever got around to telling this story to Bucky, he would lie and say that he had responded with a smooth line and swept Darcy off her feet. In reality his brain seemed to have leaked out of his ears, and he nearly fell off the barstool because he’d forgotten that his ankle was wrapped and there were a pair of crutches right next to him. But Darcy was a woman with moxie to spare so she thankfully stepped fully into his space so he could press his lips to hers without fear of toppling them both over. Her hands found his waist and crept around to his lower back, grasping his shirt like she was never gonna let go. He took her face in both of his hands, changing the angle of the kiss as their mouths opened to one another. Somewhere in the back of his mind Steve had a thought to send Dr. Doom a gift basket and a thank you card.

*****a few hours later*****

Neither Steve nor Darcy ever called to say that the treats were done. Bucky had a sneaking suspicion as to why. He walked silently down to the communal kitchen. He covered his eyes with his flesh hand before walking in.

“Everything done?” he asked, eyes covered. No one answered. He slowly pulled his hand away to see the kitchen was empty. The crutches the doctor had forced on Steve (and that Bucky laughed at) were abandoned, one still leaning against the counter, the other having fallen to the floor. A pair of women’s rain boots were in the middle of the kitchen floor. Bucky walked over to the metal bowl sitting on the counter to see that Darcy had never gotten around to actually pouring out the snack. Then Bucky noticed that there was a woman’s sweater laying on the counter behind the bowl, next to what he recognized as Darcy’s peacoat. He shook his head and started digging for a cookie sheet. Just because Steve was obviously enjoying his own special treat somewhere, that didn’t mean Bucky was gonna give up this one.


End file.
